Clothes-drier.



No. 684,776 Patented on. 22. mm.

" w. m. BARNES.

CLOTHES DRIER.

(Application filed July 14, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet I.

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Patented Oct. 22, mm.-

w. M. BARNES. CLOTHES DRIER.

(Application filed July 14, 1900,)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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4 Sheets-Shaei W. M. BARNES. CLOTHES DRIER.

(Application filed July 14, 1900.)

(No Model.)

, INVENTOH XVI I I@ I? H R W/ TNESSES No. 684,776. Patented Oct. 22, l90l.

W. M. BARNES.

GLOTH'ES omen.

(Application filed July 14, 1900.1 (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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UNITED STATES ATENT FFIGE.

WILLIAM M. BARNES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOTHES-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 684,77 6, datedOctober 22,1901.

Application filed July 14, 1900.

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, WILLIAM M. BARNES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in-Clothes-Briers, of which the following is a full, clear, andexactdescription,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichform part of this specification.

My invention, speaking generally, belongs to that class of driers inwhich the articles to be dried are carried by an endless carrier and,further, in carrying the goods secured to the endless carrier through aheated room, the goods being dried in their passage through this room.

My invention has for its object to accomplish the drying in a morethorough and certain manner.

To that end, speaking generally, my invention consists in a carrierwhich traverses the drying-room on edge and passes around guiding-wheelson vertical axes. By this construction any number of traverses or turnsin the drying-room may be made without the guiding-wheels interferingwith the articles carried by the carrier, and thus may all be at thesame level in the room, whereby the articles are constantly subjected tothe most eflioient temperature in the room. Further, the carrier issupported from substantialvertical movement independent of theguide-wheels, so that the carrier is prevented from leaving theguide-Wheels. Further, I provide pins projecting from the carrier andbeyond the line of the guide-wheels for attaching the article to thecarrier.

Further, my invention comprises certain improvements in the drying-roomitself and the relation of the heating medium, carriers, 850., to eachother whereby the best result is obtained; and, further, it consists instripping devices which automatically remove the articles from thecarriers after they have passed through the drying-room.

It further consists in certain details which will be fully hereinafterdescribed.

I will now describe the embodiment of my invention illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, although except as the samemay Serial No. 23,560.on; model.)

hereinafter be specifically claimed I do not intend to limit myself tothe specific details of this embodiment.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view. Fig. 2 is a section on theline 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig.4 is an enlarged plan view of one of the curved portions of the track.Fig. .5 is a sec tion on line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspectiveView of one of the chain-supporting trolleys and a portion of the chain.Fig. 7 is a sectional plan view of the stripper on line 7 7 of Fig. 8.Fig. Sis a front view elevation of the same.

A is the drying-room. This room is a foursided room provided at thefront with the door a and the openings a a and on the back with theopening a near the floor. The purpose of the opening a is, as willhereinafter be described, to allow the damp heavy air to escape. Thedoor a is for access to the drying-room. The opening 0; is to admit acarrier into the drying-room and the opening a for passage of thecarrier from the dryingroom. On the sides and back of this room,starting near the bottom and extending upward therefrom, are theheatingcoils B. Within the drying-room and supported upon vertical axesare the guide-wheels G 0, one of these guiding-wheels (the wheel 0)being a sprocket driving-wheel. These wheels are all at the same leveland are near the two ends of the room. These wheels are supported in thefollowing manner:

D D are two beams extending from side to side of the room, one at eachend of theroom. These beams are secured to the sides of the drying-roomby brackets 61.. Secured to these beams above each wheel 0 C is a curvedtrackway E,havingdownward-projecting portions e and inward-projectingportions e", forming a slotted double trackway. (See Figs. 4 and 5.)This trackway is provided with a bearing E for the vertical shafts c cof the wheel 0 0. Between the beams and each pulley extends a straighttrackway E, of the same construct-ion in cross-section as the curvedtrackway E. This straight trackway E is abutted to and secured to theends of the curved trackway E. O utside the drying-room A and in linewith the openings at and a are the guide-wheels C and C on verticalshafts. The guide-wheels C and C are secured in a manner similar to theguide-wheel C (E -that is, beams D and I) extend from the top of thedrying-room, and to these beams are secured curved trackways E, havingbearings E for the vertical shafts c and 0 supporting the wheels 0 and CStraight trackways E extend from these curved trackways, as within thedrying room, thus forming throughout a trackway which is partiallycurved and partially straight.

The conveyer I which I have shown is an ordinarylink-beltconveyertraveling on edge. To this conveyer F at a plurality of pointsare connected shanks G, having at their upper ends the hangers g,forming a bearing for the short longitudinal shafts g, to each end ofwhich shafts is secured a roller 9 The shank G is of such thickness thatit can pass between the ends of the projections c of the trackway,allowing the rollers to rest upon the projection e of the trackways Eand E. In order to diminish friction, the rollers g or their shaft maybe provided with the ordinary ball-bearings. At a plurality of pointsproject horizontally from the conveyer pins 9 one at each side and belowthe link proper. The eonveyer G passes around the wheels 0 C and therollers 9 rest in and travel along the track ways E and E.

The goods are attached to the pins g and travel through the drying-roomA. Near the outlet a and without the drying-room are the strippers H,one on each side of the conveyer G. These strippers are forked camshaving forked ends 7L h set at an angle to the travel of the conveyor,so that when the pins 9 enter the fork the goods held by the pins arestripped off the pins.

The operation of the mechanism so far as it has been described is asfollows: The goods to be dried are attached to the pins between thestrippers H and the wheel 0 and suitable motion being given to theconveyor the goods are carried into the drying-room through the openinga and passed a number of times to and fro in the drying-room and thenout to the strippers. By this construction, the conveyor being on edgeand the goods supported beyond the wheels, any number of turns can bemade in the drying-room, as the guiding-wheels in no way affect theoperation and the conveyer may be maintained at all times at the samelevel in the room and at the point of most efficient temperature. Again,by the use of the tracks E and E supporting the chain there is no dangerof the chain sagging off from the guidewheels due to expansion by heator from any other cause. Further, the guide-wheels and trackways areconnected with each other and the eonveyer is suspended from the track-Ways and passes around the guide-wheels. This insures that the expansionor contraction of the parts will take place together. Motion is given tothe conveyer through the sprocket-wheel O, which wheel is driven in thefollowing manner:

I is the main driving-shaft, driven in any well-known manner. Upon thisshaft is the cone-pulley 11. Upon the shaft J is a conepulley j. A beltjconnects the pulleys i and j. On the shaft J is a worm J, meshing with aworm-wheel J on the shaft 0 of wheel C. By this means the wheel 0 ispositively driven and in turn drives the conveyer F. If necessary, morethan one driving-wheel may be used.

Journaled in a hanger 76, secured to the top of the interior of thedrying-room A and central thereof, is the shaft 7t" of the fan K. Thefan K is above the conveyor G and the shaft 7; projects through the topof the drying-room A, having on its upper end a pulley M, which isconnected by a belt]; with apulley 7,5 on the shaft I.

By the construction described it will be seen that the heating-coils areat the sides of the room and the fan above the conveyer. The air risesfrom the bottom along thesides, being heated by the heating-coils, andthe fan forces it downward through the center to the bottom, from whichit again rises, as before described, thus producing a perfectcirculation. Any damp air escapes through the opening a and fresh airwill be admitted through openings ct and a Taking the apparatus as aWhole it will be seen that the use of the conveyor on edge enables anynumber of traverses in the dryingroom desired to be made. It willfurther be seen that the con veyer is supported independently of theguide-wheels and is thus prevented from sagging or leaving theguidewheels, and the goods in no place come in contact with or areaffected by the guide-wheels. Further, the arrangement of theheatingcoils is at the sides of the room and the fan above the conveyercauses a perfect circulation of the heat and a complete and rapiddrying. While I have shown the conveyer as a link-belt conveyer, I donot intend to limit myself to that specific form of conveyer. I alsodesire it to be understood that the arrangement of drying-room with theheatingcoils at the sides of the room and the fan above the conveyerhasadvantages whether the conveyer be used on edge or flat.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire toprotect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination, a drying-room having heating-coils extending upwardlyon the side thereof, a conveyor traversing said room, the centralportion of said room beneath the conveyer being devoid of heating-coilsand an air-circulating device in said room above said conveyor drivingsaid air downward.

2. In combination, a drying-room having heating-coils extending upwardlyon the side thereof, a conveyor traversing said room, the centralportion of said room beneath the conveyer being devoid of heating-coilsand an air-circulating device in said room, substantially central of andabove said conveyer, driving said air downward.

3. In combination, a drying-room having heating-coils extending upwardlyon the sides thereof, a conveyer traversing said room, the centralportion of said room beneath the conveyer being devoid of heating-coilsand an air-circulating device in said room above said conveyer drivingsaid air downward.

4. In combination, a drying-room having heating-coils extending upwardlyon the sides thereof, a conveyer traversing said room, the centralportion of said room beneath the conveyer being devoid of heating-coilsand an air-circulating device insaid room, substantially central of andabove said con veyer,driving said air downward.

5. The combination, with a drying-room provided with heating-coils onthe sides only of the lower portion of said room, of a conveyertraversing said room above said heating-coils and an air-circulatingdevice in said room above said conveyer and substantially central of thedrying-room, said circulating device driving the air in said roomdownward.

6. The combination, with a drying-room, provided with heating-coils onthe sides only of the lower portion of said room, of a conveyertraversing said room above said heating-coils and at substantially thesame level throughout, and an air-circulating device in said room abovesaid conveyer and substantially central of the drying-room, saidcirculating device driving the air in said room downward.

7. In a drier in combination witha dryingroom, of a plurality ofguiding-wheels in said room, a conveyer on edge traversing saiddrying-room and guided by said wheels, an inlet opening into and exitopening from said drying-room for said conveyer, guide-wheels withoutsaid drying-room, for guiding the conveyer between said openings,horizontal pins secured to said conveyer beyond the plane of saidguide-wheels projecting outwardly from opposite sides of said conveyerand earns without said drying-room in line of travel of said pins andset at an angle to said pins and adapted to strip the goods from bothsets of pins.

8. In a drier in combination with a dryingroom, of a plurality ofguiding-wheels in said room, a conveyer on edge traversing saiddrying-room and guided by said wheels, an inlet opening into and exitopening from said drying-room for said conveyer, guide-wheels withoutsaid drying-room, for guiding the conveyor between said openings,horizontal pins secured to said conveyer beyond the plane of saidguide-wheels and projectingoutwardly from opposite sides of saidconveyor and a forked cam without said drying-room in line of travel ofsaid pins and set at an angle to said pins and adapted to strip thegoods from both sides of pins.

9. In a drier in combination with a dryingroom, of a plurality ofguiding-wheels in said room, a conveyer on edge traversing saiddrying-room and guided by said Wheels, an inlet opening into and exitopening from said drying-room for said conveyer, guide-wheels withoutsaid drying-room, for guiding the conveyer between said openings,horizontal pins projecting from each side of said conveyer and securedto said conveyer beyond the plane of said guide-wheels and a cam on eachside of said conveyer without the drying-room and in line of travel ofsaid pins, said cams being set at an angle to said pins.

10. In a drier in combination with a drying-room, of a plurality ofguiding-wheels in said room, a conveyer on edge traversing saiddryingroom and guided by said wheels, an inlet opening into and exitopening from said drying-room for said conveyer, guide-wheels withoutsaid drying-room, for guiding the conveyer between said openings,horizontal pins projecting from each side of said conveyer and securedto said conveyer beyond the plane of said guide-wheels and a forked camon each side of said conveyer without the drying-room and in line oftravel of said pins said cams being setat an angle to said pins.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand, atPhiladelphia, on this 7th day of July, 1900.

WILLIAM M. BARNES.

WVitnesses:

M. F. ELLIs, M. M. HAMILTON.

